Muradbeg Kulenović
During the time of Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina there was a whole constellation of extremely successful Imam's i.e. spiritual leaders which performed small miracles with their religious and mystic knowledge and in that way they became an integral part of folk legends. One of those people is the famous Imam Muradbeg Kulenović from Bosanski Petrovac about whom there is a recorded text in the Ethnographic museum of Zagreb of 1934.
The content of the talisman a person carries is determined by the religion he belongs to. But, as it was customary in the past for the Imam to write for Christians or Christian priests to Muslims, the talismans were mixed, but this is a rare occurrence today. Catholic and Orthodox priests no longer write inscriptions for over 70-80 years, and Imam's write still to this day but to a lesser degree than before, this is way Christians contact them when in trouble. Priests were healers from the old days since in diseases and accidents one can see God's punishment, influence of evil spirits and living beings, therefore they performed various ceremonies and rituals in order to protect people from evil and disease. They included various sacrifices, prayers as well as other rituals which included hanging talismans and amulets. Over time they increased the use of various drugs, but over a long period of time they mixed all possible agents with the amulets and talismans. It was considered that they ward off various diseases for which there was no cure, such as mental illnesses which cannot be cured by normal drugs. The famous folk doctor Muradbeg Kulenović from Bosanski Petrovac, once uttered this:
-I learned to make talismans from my father at home in Bosnia and in Istanbul from the Dervish, while I lived there. I would write a talisman while looking at old books and often in the stars (astrology), while I didn't understand drugs much.
He then showed me various ways to finish an inscription, which he partially multiplied on a Schapiograph since he was old and his hand was shaking, he would write something by hand.
-All my spiritual patients, he called the mentally ill in this way, received three talismans each. One would be wrapped initially in a dry, then in a wax cloth and it would be worn alongside the body, the other part would be cut off and after seven days it would be thrown gradually into a fire, which also contained incense, the fumes would be inhaled, the third talisman would be placed inside water, which contained water from three springs, the water would be drunk for twenty one days, the diseased would also use this water to wash his face in the morning for fourteen days. People from all over the place come to purchase my talismans, they also call me from far away, to see the mentally ill and to chase away the devils when they throw things at the house (here we are talking about a belief that devils/vampires can throw rocks at someone's house at night). I can make a girl come to a boy which he desires and vice versa, all they have to do is carry my inscriptions and utter basmice (magical formulas) which I give them, then blow down their body, so for example this basmica:
I entered golden through a silver door,
sounded like a weapon,
shone like the sun,
entered into everyone's heart,
amin velezalim.
or:
"O my dear,
ahrum, bahrum, čikti vehrum;
as much as you thread there,
so much will be returned here,
amin, velezalim
During this he showed me numerous letters and telegraphs, which he received from patients, he talked gladly about his successes.
-They brought one mad person, which was possessed by a devil, who didn't want to pray to god, he just cursed. I uttered a prayer and made an inscription, and I sent him into town to buy cigarettes. He went alone and returned normal with the cigarettes.
From such conversations with this so called doctor, who claimed that he doesn't practice medicine, but cures the mentally ill with inscriptions, one could make out that he wrote against spells, that he cures various diseases, and that he writes different things for different diseases. Other unofficial healers and Imam's do the same even to this day.
These are some of the talismans that Imam Muradbeg Kulenović wrote:
The content of the talisman a person carries is determined by the religion he belongs to. But, as it was customary in the past for the Imam to write for Christians or Christian priests to Muslims, the talismans were mixed, but this is a rare occurrence today. Catholic and Orthodox priests no longer write inscriptions for over 70-80 years, and Imam's write still to this day but to a lesser degree than before, this is way Christians contact them when in trouble. Priests were healers from the old days since in diseases and accidents one can see God's punishment, influence of evil spirits and living beings, therefore they performed various ceremonies and rituals in order to protect people from evil and disease. They included various sacrifices, prayers as well as other rituals which included hanging talismans and amulets. Over time they increased the use of various drugs, but over a long period of time they mixed all possible agents with the amulets and talismans. It was considered that they ward off various diseases for which there was no cure, such as mental illnesses which cannot be cured by normal drugs. The famous folk doctor Muradbeg Kulenović from Bosanski Petrovac, once uttered this:
-I learned to make talismans from my father at home in Bosnia and in Istanbul from the Dervish, while I lived there. I would write a talisman while looking at old books and often in the stars (astrology), while I didn't understand drugs much.
He then showed me various ways to finish an inscription, which he partially multiplied on a Schapiograph since he was old and his hand was shaking, he would write something by hand.
-All my spiritual patients, he called the mentally ill in this way, received three talismans each. One would be wrapped initially in a dry, then in a wax cloth and it would be worn alongside the body, the other part would be cut off and after seven days it would be thrown gradually into a fire, which also contained incense, the fumes would be inhaled, the third talisman would be placed inside water, which contained water from three springs, the water would be drunk for twenty one days, the diseased would also use this water to wash his face in the morning for fourteen days. People from all over the place come to purchase my talismans, they also call me from far away, to see the mentally ill and to chase away the devils when they throw things at the house (here we are talking about a belief that devils/vampires can throw rocks at someone's house at night). I can make a girl come to a boy which he desires and vice versa, all they have to do is carry my inscriptions and utter basmice (magical formulas) which I give them, then blow down their body, so for example this basmica:
I entered golden through a silver door,
sounded like a weapon,
shone like the sun,
entered into everyone's heart,
amin velezalim.
or:
"O my dear,
ahrum, bahrum, čikti vehrum;
as much as you thread there,
so much will be returned here,
amin, velezalim
During this he showed me numerous letters and telegraphs, which he received from patients, he talked gladly about his successes.
-They brought one mad person, which was possessed by a devil, who didn't want to pray to god, he just cursed. I uttered a prayer and made an inscription, and I sent him into town to buy cigarettes. He went alone and returned normal with the cigarettes.
From such conversations with this so called doctor, who claimed that he doesn't practice medicine, but cures the mentally ill with inscriptions, one could make out that he wrote against spells, that he cures various diseases, and that he writes different things for different diseases. Other unofficial healers and Imam's do the same even to this day.
These are some of the talismans that Imam Muradbeg Kulenović wrote:
